Musician Brings Career Advice Home To Eustis

EUSTIS — As a young boy, Thomas McClary had the guidance of some very good Eustis teachers to help him decide what direction his career should take.

On Friday, McClary, who founded the musical group The Commodores, returned the favor by giving about 40 students at Eustis Middle School some sound advice on career choices.

McClary, a Eustis native, was one of 41 speakers representing as many professions at the school's career day.

In two 20-minute sessions, the 40-year-old McClary told students about how he became a musician and businessman. McClary is now owner of Morningstar Records in Orlando, a Christian recording label.

His first thoughts of becoming a musician came during his Eustis school days and were realized while he was a college student at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he was studying business.

McClary, lead singer Lionel Richie and three other Tuskegee students formed a band that would later become The Commodores. The group is famous for its rhythm and blues, ballads and pop music.

''We got our style by listening to other musicians' style. We'd add some things and from that we had something of our own,'' he told students. The group studied under such noted musicians as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and Smokey Robinson.

McClary emphasized that if students should happen to fail as recording artists, they can find other well-paying jobs within the music industry such as band and production managers, agents, producers, directors and recording engineers.

''Not everybody can be a songwriter or an arranger, but you can get into other areas of the business,'' McClary said. ''The most important thing is that you get an education.

''All of us (The Commodores) majored in something else,'' he said. ''I majored in business, Lionel majored in economics, and the others majored in engineering and architecture.''

They included students Jamie Walker and Keith Solomon, who are both 12 and say they plan to go into show business.

''I'd love to have the career like he (McClary) had,'' said Jamie, who plays the tuba. ''You have to work hard at it.''

Said Keith, a drummer, ''I've been wanting to be an actor at this point. I really like playing the drums but not as much as acting.''

Both students said they plan to take acting lessons at Universal Studios in Orlando this summer.

''Everyone says I have a natural talent for singing and stuff. I like performing,'' Jamie said.

That's the type of enthusiasm guidance counselors at the school wanted to hear from their students.

''This is the first time we've done this (career day) in many years,'' said guidance counselor Rosemary Guenther. ''We wanted the students to be more informed about different professions rather than having a narrow view. We want them to know what's involved.''

In this case, it involved a national recording star coming home to Eustis to tell a new generation how it began for him - and how it could begin for them.